Machine for washing clothes



March 2, 1943. P, E. GELDHOF MACHINE FOR WASHING CLOTHES.

Filed June 24, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR lQfDl/ARD GELDHOF BY V j IATTORNEY March 2, 1943. P. E. GELDHOF 2,312,541

MACHINE FOR WASHING CLOTHES Filed June 24, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR R EDUARD GELDHOF BY l ATTORNEY March 2, 1943. P. E. GELDHOF'2,312,541

MACHINE FOR WASHING CLOTHES Filed June 24, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 3.

INVENTOR R EDUARD GELDHOF ATTORNEY March 2, 1943. P. E. GELDHOF IMACHINE FOR WASHING CLOTHES 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 24, 1939INVENTOR P. 5004 GELDHQF BY 5%.

ATTORNEY March 2, 1943. P. E. GELDHOF MACHINE FOR WASHING CLOTHES FiledJune 24, 1939. '5 Sheets-Sheet 5 \NVENTOR P. EDUARD GELDHOF ATTORNEYPatented Mar. 2, 1943 MACHINE FOR WASHING CLOTHES Peter Eduard Geldhoi',St. Joseph, Mich, assignor to Ninteen Hundred Corporation, St. Joseph,Mich, a corporation of New York Application June 24, 1939, Serial No.280,905

Claims.

This invention relates to domestic clothes washing machines and moreparticularly to the agitating means or the like which brings about thedesired washing action.

Heretofore agitating devices have been so constructed and operated thata general flow of the water, and movement of the clothes, has beencreated first in one direction around the tub and then in the oppositedirection, this circumferential movement being accompanied by a generalcirculatory movement in a radial direction, for example outwardly nearthe bottom of the tub, upwardly along the wall, inwardly adjacent thesurface of the water, and downwardly at the center. Both the water andthe clothes partake of the same general, circumferential and radialmovements, although due to the greater inertia of the clothes,particularly when the machine is well loaded, its movements are slowerand of less magnitude than those of the water. There is a tendency,however, for the agitating means to drag the clothes circumferentially,especially when the tub is well loaded, so that the circumferentialmovement is almost as rapid and as great as that of the water.

I have found that clothes may be more effectively washed if they aresubjected to a whip lash action and a multiplicity of bending anddeflecting forces and particularly when these are at least in part dueto impact and a squeezing action. It is also desirable to subject theclothes to the action of a series of separate and divergent movements orcurrents of water within the general body of water. The bending anddeflecting forces bring about a desirable thread deformation whichloosens particles of dirt held within the interstices of the fabric.This function is served to a certain extent by the impact and squeezingaction. The squeezing action, furthermore, followed by expansion of theclothes causes an inward and outward movementof the water, the clothesfunctioning in the manner of a sponge, and this movement of the water,when supplemented by the series of divergent currents Within the mainbody of water, serves to carry the dislodged particles of dirt away fromthe clothes.

In accordance with the present invention, I have devised an agitatorwhich, when oscillated to and fro in the conventional manner, will bringabout the bending, deflecting and squeezing actions specified above andwill create currents of water in a variety of different directions, someupwardly at an angle, some downwardly at an angle and some directlyoutwardly. These divergent currents not only assist in bending thevarious portions of the clothes in different directions, but also serveto carry away the dislodged dirt.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear fromthe detailed description of certain illustrative forms of the same whichwill now be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a domestic washing machineembodying the invention, one form of the improved agitatingmeans beingindicated in broken lines.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the agitating means shown tin Figure1.

Figure 3 is a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical sectionthrough the agitating means.

Figure 4 is a horizontal, sectional view taken along the line 4-4 ofFigure 3, and a Figure 5 is a perspective view of a modified form ofagitator embodying features of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figure 1 a conventionalform of washing machine which may be of any known and suitableconstruction. In general itmay embody a tub I0 carried by a standard Hwhich also carries, preferably in a concealed position beneath the tub,a motor l2 and a suitable gear case l3. As will be readily understood bythose skilled in the art, connections are provided from the motor l2through operating means within the gear case to a vertically disposedshaft l4, indicated in broken lines in Figure 1. This shaft is suitablymounted in bearings carried by the gear case and extends upwardlythrough an opening in the bottom of the tub, which is sealed in anyconvement and known manner to prevent the escape of water around theshaft. The agitating means or washing element, constituting theprincipal feature of the present invention, is designated generally bythe reference character I5 and it will be understood that it is'adaptedto be applied over the shaft l4 and connected therewith in anyconvenient manner for oscilla' v y the shaft. 11

The connections from the motor 12 to the shaft I 4 and agitating meansl5 may be such as to cause the latter to oscillate to and fro through anarc of approximately 200 at a rate of about completeoscillations perminute. It will be understood, however, that the rate and extent ofoscillation may be varied within rather wide limits, according to theparticular conditions and requirements to be met. Connections of theusual type, which need not be described, may be provided for driving anyconventional form of wringer.

The improved agitating means or washing element, as best shown in Figure2, comprises a base disc I6, a top spider member l1, and a centralstandard I 8 which extends some distance above the top of the spidermember l1. Between the base disc and the spider member there is provideda series of partitions or vanes IQ of undulatory form, to be moreparticularly described hereinafter. The entire structure, including thebottom disc, spider member, central standard and vanes, is preferablycast or otherwise formed as an integral unit, although if desired theagitating means might be composed of a series of separate elementsassembled and secured together in any convenient way.- While 1 f. theinvention is not to be considered as limited, to the employment of anyparticular dimensions, l; 20j

a typical washing element for use in a tub havmg a diameter of, say 225'would involve a base i disc. of approximately 13" in diameter, 'a-tcpspider member having its arms 'exte'n'ding,=.ra-

dially about 4" from the axis of the r :eni'.ra.l

standard, and a central standard about 2%" in diameter. The distancebetween the base disc and pider member may be about 10" and ispreferably such that the spider member will be disposed at approximatelythe normal water level maintained within the tub when in operation. Thebase disc, as indicated in Figure 1, is preferably spaced only a slightdistance above the bottom of the tub, a gentle downward slope beingpreferably provided from the central standard toward the outer edge, asbest indicated in Figure 3.

Any suitable number of vanes i9 may be'employed; three such vanes,spaced equally about the central standard, are indicated in Figure 2 and4 and will be found to give very good results. All of the transverseelements of the vanes, i. e., lines drawn transversely across theirfaces parallel with the plane of the spider memher, are substantiallystraight and a portion of them extend from the central standard in aradial direction. These transverse elements for each vane are parallelwith one another and, therefore, due to the undulatory form of the vane,only those transverse elements falling in the general mean plane passingthrough the top and bottom portions of the vane are strictly radial.

As best indicated in Figure 2, each vane has a small lower portion 20,extending upwardly at .substantially a right angle from the base discI6. Similarly, a small portion 2| at the upper end of the vane extendsat substantially a right angle downwardly from the spider member l1.These substantially straight or plane portions of the vane may be of anydesired height but are preferably less than an inch and may, if desired,be eliminated altogether. Between the plane portions and 2|, orthroughout their length if so desired, the vanes are of undulatory form,as previously indicated, and may be said to be of substantially sinecurve formation in vertical cross-section. The arrangement is such thatconcave sections or pockets 22 and 23 are formed on one side of eachvane and a similar concave section or pocket 24 is formed on theopposite side of the vane between the pockets 22 and 23. In general, itwill be seen that except for the short substantially vertical portions20 and 2|, which may be provided, the vanes present, on each sidethereof, portions which are ard. The outer edges of the vanes similarlydescribe substantially sine curves as the vanes are viewed edgewise andthey are also curved in substantially sine-curve fashion as viewed fromeither side. This is best indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. As a result ofthis peculiar formation of the vanes, the various portions at differentelevations are of different radial extent; portions 2! and 2' are thusprovided of somewhat greater radial extent than the end portions 20- and2| and the intermediate portion 24 of each vane.

. The, top surface of the bottom disc I6 may, if de'siredebe smoothbetween the adjacent pairs of vanesg; However, there is preferablyprovided.

abroad, flat projection 21 on the disc IS in each ofthespaces betweenthe several vanes. These projections may either be solid or hollow andopen'onlthe under side of the disc. suitably be about of an inch inheight adrkjacent their outer ends and may have their tops They maysubstantially in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the agitator. tionabove the'disc l6, therefore, gradually decreases toward the centralstandard into which it merges. The breadth of the projection may bevaried considerably but one that is about 2 inches wide has been foundquite satisfactory.

Adjacent the outer end of each of the projections it is preferablybifurcated to fingers, as indicated at 28.

Intermediate the several vanes 9 there is preferably also provided aseries of ribs 29 projecting radially outward fromthe central standardand having their outer edges substantially straight.

provide a pair of These ribs extend from the under surface of the,

spider member down to the bottom disc, being preferably curved outwardlyat their lower ends to follow the curvature at the bottom of thestandard and to merge gradually'into the tops of the projections 21. Ithas been found that good results are obtained when these ribs projectradially about to of an inch from the central standard.

In the operation of the agitating means at a speed. of, say, 60 completeoscillations per minute, it will be found that the water and clotheswithin the tub will be caught and squeezed to a certain extent by thepockets 24 upon the counter-clockwise movernent of the agitating means,as viewed in Fig. -2, and will be similarly caught and squeezed by thepockets 22 and 23 upon a clockwise movement of the agitating means. Thissqueezing action, resulting from the impact with the clothes of thesurfaces on the vanes disposed at an angle and in opposite directions tothe vertical, will cause water to be temporarily displaced from theclothes. Immediately thereafter, however, when the impact or squeezingaction has ceased, the water will quickly work its way back into theportions of the clothes from which it has been squeezed. As a result ofthis movement of the water in and out of the clothes, by a sort ofsponge action, the dirt which has been dislodged by the bending ordeformation of the threads of the material will be carried away with thewater. It will be apparent that a certain amount of circumferentialmovement will b imparted to the clothes and water, first in onedirection and then in the other, as a result of the impact.

In addition to the impact and squeezing action The height of theproiecupon the clothes, there will be set up within the wateramultiplicity of small currents thrown in divergent directions by virtueof the different angular dispositions of the various portions of thevanes. Moreover, the peculiar configuration of the vanes and theirdifferent radial extents at different elevations will result indesirable variations in the force of the currents produced. Thesediverse currents Within the main body of water will be found to assistnot only in producing the desired bending of the fabric and threaddeformation but also in carrying away the particles of dirt that havebeen dislodged from the interstices of the material.

As the clothes are shifted back and forth circumferentially of the tuband are subjected to the action of the water movements, the individualpieces thereof have a tendency to slowly shift their relative positionsand thus different pieces or portions of the same piece are brought intocontact with the projections 21 and ribs 29. Those portions of theclothes which are drawn or forced across the projections and ribs aresubjected to a light rubbing action which adds to the thread deformationor bending and aids in the loosening of the dirt.

Still another factor in the washing of the clothes by the improvedagitating means is the whip lash effect of the vanes as they come incontact with the fabric. The contour of the free edges of the vanes issuch that any clothes engaged by these edges will be deflected andwhipped about in a vigorous manner, thereby greatly increasing thebending and scrubbing actions of the device.

Referring now to Figure there is shown a modified form of agitatorembodying some of the features of the present invention. This agitatorcomprises a base disc 30 and a center post 3|, similar to the disc 16and post I8 of the first form. Projections 32, similar to projections21,

and ribs 33, similar to ribs 29, are also provided. While no spidermember, similar to the member I! of Figure 2, is shown, such a spidermay be used if desired. The vanes, which are designated 34. are ofsubstantially sine curve form as viewed from the edge and their outeredges also present substantially a sine curve effect as viewed from theside. However, the outer edges of these vanes have a general taperinwardly toward the center post from bottom to top. Thus, the lowerportion 35 of each vane extends substantially to the periphery of thedisc 30, while the portions 36 and 31 are of successively decreasingradial extent, and the upper portion 38 has its Outer edge merging intothe center post toward the top. The portions 36 and 31 form pocketsfacing in one direction while the intermediate portions forms a pocketfacing in the opposite direction. The upper and lower portions, 38 and35, respectively, are preferably in a plane perpendicular to the planeof the periphery of the base disc and radial to the axis of the centerpost. As in the first embodiment, the form of the vanes is preferablysuch that each element drawn across the face of a vane parallel with theplane of the periphery of the base disc is a straight line parallel withall the other such elements. If a spider, similar to element I! ofFigure 2, is employed it will preferably be located just above theportions 31 of the vanes.

The action of this modified form of agitator is substantially the sameas for the first form except that the radially outward force acting onthe water and clothes is greater near the base disc than toward the topof the agitator so that there is a general movement outwardly near thebottom and inwardly toward the top of the agitator which increasessomewhat the tendency of the clothes to roll over and shift one portionwith respect to another. This brings m e of the clothes into directcontact with the edges of the vanes and with the projections 32 and ribs33.

While I have shown several preferred embodiments of my invention, itwill, of course, be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto,since many modifications may be made, and I therefore contemplate by theappended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the truespirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. An agitator for a clothes washing machine which comprises a base anda central standard rising therefrom, said standard having a plurality ofvanes projecting therefrom, each of said vanes having a side surface ofsubstantially sine curve formation in vertical cross-section as viewedin a vertical plane passing transversely through a vane and all sectionsof said vanes taken parallel to said base being straight lines.

2. An agitator for a clothes washing machine which comprises a base anda central standard rising therefrom, said standard having a plurality ofvanes projecting therefrom, each of said vanes having a surface ofundulatory form from top to bottom and having all its transverseelements substantially straight lines extending in parallel relationfrom said standard.

3. An agitator for a clothes washing machine which comprises a base anda central standard rising therefrom, said standard having a plurality ofvanes projecting therefrom, each of said vanes having a surface ofgenerally undulatory form, and a plurality of broad, flat projections onsaid base intermediate said vanes extending radially outwardly from saidcentral standard and terminating in a bifurcated end portion.

4. An agitator for a clothes washing machine which comprises a base anda. central standard rising therefrom, said standard having a pluralityof vanes projecting therefrom, each of said vanes having a surface ofgenerally undulatory form. and each of Said vanes being of generallydecreasing radial extent from bottom to top, and all sections of saidvanes taken parallel to said base being straight lines.

5. An agitator for a clothes washing machine which comprises a basedisc, a member parallel with the periphery of said base disc and spacedtherefrom, and agitating means extending between said disc and memberincluding a plurality of spaced vanes having surfaces of undulatory formin the direction of their length but all sections thereof taken parallelto said disc being substantially straight lines.

PETER EDUARD GELDHOF.

